Do you impose frugality in gift giving?

[kealina]

regarding gift cards all i have to say is CASH is the best gift if you don't know what to buy... but if they wont' give cash we'd rather have a gift card than some random gift from people who don't know what we like anyways...
we like getting pratical ones where we would have eventually spent more than that amount anyways and don't like getting them for places we don't shop... i do know that some people who know us don't want to give us cash as they know we will save it... the give us gift cards to make us spend money... 17 yr old SIL gave me $5 gc's to starbucks and jamba juice as part of my b-day present so that we would treat ourselves to a drink...

as for us giving gift cards, we never buy gift cards to give people.... we have agreed that if we have the money to buy the gc we would just give the person the money instead...

[tabbycat31]

Personally, I am all for practical gifts. In fact in recent years (not counting the kitten I got for my 9th birthday) the best present I received was that my parents one year paid my January car payment.

I like that more than clutter under the tree.

[PrincessPerky]

I aim to mix practical and frugal in some ways, for one thing I can't afford much more than frugal! but on the other hand, I think a present should be all about what you wouldn't buy yourself (or at least not right away) so I tend torward homemade toiletries, or food, useful consumable, and frugal...

for kids I aim to find something on sale, cause it wont last.

[getforfree]

I would rathere get practical gift or money. Probably money is better, because I know I can buy the same thing only cheaper.

I usually regift, if the gift is nice, but unuseful, like a souvenier or a candle or something that I can live without.

Cards are just a waste of money, unless you are sending it in the mail, and don't have to buy gift.

I usually try to avoid spending money, try to regift first, and if I don't have a sufficient gift at home, then I just buy something on clearance for at least 75% off. For weddings we usually give money. For baby showers I give outfits that were given to my kids, and they never wore it, or if I found something really qute for like 2$, and most people would think, that I spent like $12 for it.

[dshep]

I get gift cards to my local grocery store for Christmas from my boss... and I think its great.. that extra grocery money at that time of year is perfect!
I do give gift certificates or cards to my oldest son, he is 25 and in the military, he loves getting gift cards to his favorite restaurant ( he is in Cali, I am in Maine) and when he is overseas at the holidays he can shop online and then have everything delivered to Cali so its there when he gets home. I think in my case, gift cards show I am actually thinking about him, not just stuffing money in a envelope.. I have to make a effort to get the cards for his favorite restaurants and the stores ( which means I am paying attention when he calls home..lol ) I know he loves to shop in.

[jodi]

I guess I do a little of everything. For Christmas, we keep a running wish list on the fridge for all the family members. I try to buy off of that so I know they will get something they want. I have received WAY too many gifts I cannot use and do not want, so I appreciate when someone takes the time to try to get me something I can really use. For my own wish list, I ask for a mix of practical items (i.e. kitchen gadgets) and some luxuries - things I don't often buy for myself (new clothes, gift certificate to a restaurant or movies).
I love to get gift cards or money. With the money, I often tend to spend it on things I would have needed to buy anyway. it goes in the bank and becomes part of the budget, so I love it for that reason - less money of mine I spend out of pocket. On the other hand, I love those gift certificates because they force me to spend a little money on something for myself, especially restaurants, which I don't go out to much anymore. So for me, they both have their benefits.
I will definitely try to be practical for others, though. I always buy off a registry for weddings and baby showers. I received 3 or 4 sets of wine glasses when I got married (I don't think I registered for any), so I am sympathetic to getting things you don't want or need. (I did try to return one set but they wouldn't take it - turns out it was a regift that had been sold two years previously!). I do try to include gift receipts when possible so items can be returned or exchanged if they are not what the person wanted.
I keep a pile of generic gifts on hand, but only use these for non-specific gifts (i.e. gift exchanges with co-workers when you don't know who will end up with the gift). Unless I have something really appropriate on hand, I like to tailor each gift to the person receiving it.

[rob62521]

Someone told me when I gave them money that it was the right color, right size, and didn't have to be returned!

Yes! I am very frugal and practical when it comes to gift giving. And I'll make a little confession if you promise not to tell......I'm a re-gifter! If I receive something nice & cute but something I'll never use like a cute scented candle and candle holder, I'll save it to give to someone else. Shhhh... don't tell!

[rob62521]

A gal I worked with was getting married and had a number of extra things on her registry for the kitchen which I considered humorous since she didn't cook and wasn't planning on doing a lot of it. Anyway, I did buy her a couple of small things from her registry and then bought a bunch of groceries to fill her pantry like soup, salt, sugar, etc. (She had lived at home until she married.) She acted really disappointed until she went to the grocery store to buy some items and realized how expensive buying basic items could be. She later told me that she appreciated the practical gift far after she restocked.

[justbee]

Another idea that came to me last night was a gas card to a local station, the card tells you how much is on it and the pump doesn't let you go over that amount so there no temptation to overspend just to use the card.

Maybe a gift certificate would be a better idea on groceries, so they could get the change back in cash.

[rob62521]

With gas prices the way they are, the gas card is an excellent suggestion, Justbee!

[med12]

I am definitely frugal/practical in gift giving. A lot of times, I will re-gift something in a basket of sorts. For instance, a candle with a bottle of wine and a couple of wine glasses or a candle with some bath stuff...depending on the person. I also keep a box of gifts that I add to throughout the year to do the basket idea. Many times, I will give a gift certificate to a restaurant but will combine it with something else so it's not as obvious how much I spent.

One of my favorite "frugal" gifts is a movie basket. Either a gift card to a movie rental store or a set of movie passes along with some microwave popcorn and a fun bowl.

[Ima saver]

I like the giving money idea. My girlfriend and I decided not to exchange presents anymore, so the only presents I get are from my husband! I give my granddaughters money so they can blow it any way they want. I wish they would save it!

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by rob62521

With gas prices the way they are, the gas card is an excellent suggestion, Justbee!

While I certainly wouldn't mind free gas, I don't like this idea either. Let's say you give me an Exxon card. That means I need to go to Exxon, which generally has the most expensive gas in the area, so the $25 you give me buys less gas than if you gave me $25 cash and I took it to the US Gas station down the street. I wouldn't want to give Exxon my business and support them when they are overcharging so much.

Just another reason I dislike gift cards.

[rickatheslicka]

I go back and forth. If I know the person receiving the gift has been trying to be frugal, I might get them something less practical that they otherwise wouldn't get for themselves, as a treat, like movie tickets and a promise to babysit.

Other times, I try to get them something they need and will definitely use. But it can be hard to put yourselves in their shoes and know what it is that they need. For example, they may have food stamps and would never dream of telling you that. But then a grocery store gift card would not be the most prudent present for them. I try to keep an ear out for things they mention, but even then I know some presents I have given were not a big hit.

Overall, it's the thought that counts, right?

[lrjohnson]

I try to be frugal. I shop thrift stores and garage sales, and this year because of my challenge I've had to start Christmas shopping in April. I don't give any gift that I wouldn't like myself, in that I don't buy others used sweaters while I go to the department store. So even if a friend knows I paid a low price for her gift, she knows I pay a low price for everyonbes gifts and my own needs and wants.

All that said, it was extraordinarily satisfying to be able to give my dad $1000 to buy a laptop for world travle as his birthday/retirement/christmas/etc. gift for the year. best splurge i ever made. Once in a lifetime, for sure.

[Thrifty Ray]

Originally Posted by rickatheslicka

Overall, it's the thought that counts, right?

Yes, it is the thought that counts. But what does this really mean? I can remember thinking "well at least I remembered the occasion, therefore I 'thought' ", even if it meant buying a quick "whatchamacallit" for a co-worker at the grocery store on the way to the office.

But anymore, "its the thought that counts" means that I have taken the time to think about the recipient and come up with a gift that they will LOVE...sometimes that gift comes from a garage sale, sometimes its homemade, sometimes it is clearanced...but I really try to fit the gift to the person so that I dont spend money on something that spends its life being a 'recycled gift'.

[rob62521]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

While I certainly wouldn't mind free gas, I don't like this idea either. Let's say you give me an Exxon card. That means I need to go to Exxon, which generally has the most expensive gas in the area, so the $25 you give me buys less gas than if you gave me $25 cash and I took it to the US Gas station down the street. I wouldn't want to give Exxon my business and support them when they are overcharging so much.

Just another reason I dislike gift cards.

You make a good point. Perhaps you could sell the card to someone who likes that particular place and have the cash.

[vsjhoc]

Sometimes the best gifts are not goods (things) but services. Think of what you could do for someone that they would really appreciate and would also not cost you much (perhaps only the gas that you would have spent driving to the store to buy them the thing):

* Give them an "errands day" where you do everything like picking up their dry cleaning, going to the post office, etc.

* Wash their car once a week for a month

* Mow their lawn or weed their garden three times

* Do something using your specific skills -- massage? hair cut? manicure? drywall?

[Thrifty Ray]

Originally Posted by vsjhoc

Sometimes the best gifts are not goods (things) but services.

I totally agree. Especially for seniors who have limited space and have every'thing' they need.